Normal Pov:

Easter was getting impatient and wanted to find the embryo bad, Lulu who

wanted the embryo for herself thought that she needed to stop what ever

Easter was planning. Since she knew that they used Ikuto to do the dirty

work she needed to get rid of him first. “Ikuto your lost but if you wear this

jewel all of your problems will go away” Lulu said with a cunning voice,

Ikuto started at her then the jewel and decided to take it, he didn't put it on he

just shoved it in his pocket.

Ikuto Pov:

I walked around the creepy Easter building and started to think about what

Lulu said, maybe I am lost I thought to myself. I put the glowing piece of

jewelry on and nothing happened, I started to walk when the necklace began

to shrink and it started to choke me,I was to busy trying to get the necklace

off that I didn't realize the room getting bigger. I felt like I was shrinking and

my clothes started to slid off, the necklace wasn't choking me anymore but

when I tried to pull it off again I realized I had fuzzy paws instead of hands. I

ran out of the building as fast as I could, I didn't know why or how but I

knew I was a cat. I ran outside the world looked so big and it started to rain,

just my luck I cried in my head, this was all Lulu's fault.

Amu Pov:

I ran out of my house after eating dinner I realized it was raining down hard

so I had an umbrella, I was heading toward the guardians garden to have a

meeting. I went through town first and did a little window shopping, I heard

a little meowing coming from an alley, and ran to check it out I saw a wet

fuzzy blue cat. “Oh you poor thing” I said as I ran over to it to pick it up, it

wasn't awake. I wrapped it in my jacket and headed home, the meeting

would have to wait, I ran inside with out my parents catching me cause if

they did they wouldn't let me keep the cat. I ran up stairs and dried the cat

off, and laid it on my bed it was still asleep, it was breathing heavily and that

worried me. I hoped it would wake up soon. I crawled in bed with the cat in

my arms and fell asleep.

Ikuto Pov:

I woke up and thought I had died and gone to heaven, instead of being on the

cold wet street I was laying on a soft fabric. I slowly opened my eyes to find

a sleeping Amu holding me.

Amu Pov :

I woke up still tired, because I was worrying about my little kitty, I patted his ears

and he purred. I had to get up and get dressed for my guardian meeting, since I

blew off yesterday's. I sprung out of bed and searched through my closet not

finding anything “Ah, What should I wear neko” I said talking to my kitty, but he

was still half asleep.

Ikuto Pov :

I opened my eyes again because Amu was talking to me when I looked over I saw

her taking her clothes off to change no, yes, no , I cant look, bad kitty, no no,

maybe, okay just a peek I thought in my mind I glanced over, but she was

already finished, darn it ! “Come on kitty lets go” Amu said sweetly and picked

me up in her arms , I was really getting use to Amu caring for me like I was her

little baby. We were out the door and were headed towards the royal garden. I

really wasn't looking forward to seeing Tadase's face! “Oh, hey kitty I think you

need a name, hmmmmmm” Amu said thinking hard about it. We arrived at the

garden and Tadase greeted Amu with a hug if he knows whats good for him he

wont ever touch her again I said in my head. I scratched him, ha ha “ Ouch”

Tadase said sucking on his cut hand.

Amu Pov:

“ I'm so sorry Tadase, I don't know why he did that” I said apologizing, I could

swear that my little kitty had a smirk on his face. “ Amu-chi, whose your friend”

YaYa said petting my kitty, All of the guardians were surrounding my kitty except

Tadase. “ If you ask me your little friend reminds me of that thieving cat Ikuto”

Tadase said ticked off, “Thats it, Tadase Thank you, I am going to name my little

neko Ikuto” I said happily. I stared at my little Ikuto and to be honest he really did

look like a little Ikuto.

Ikuto Pov:

Whoa I'm surprised they got my name right, I wonder if Amu is thinking about

me. Not that being Amu's pet isn't fun, But I missed being a human, I mean I can't

even wear my cool pants anymore. Amu then picked me up and smashed me

against her chest, Oh my God boobies in my face!!! I got a nose bleed and then

passed out “ Ikuto, Ikuto hang in there” I hear Amu cry through my little comma.

I take it back, being a cat couldn't hurt that much, it could actually be fun.

The day was bright and sunny. It was warm and the perfect day for doing just about anything yet...

“Ikuto nya! What are we gonna do?”

On this perfect Saturday Ikuto was bored.

“I don’t know Yoru.” The dark blue haired teen answered his chara.

“Why don’t we go to Amu’s house nya?”

Ikuto shrugged then smirked. What better way to cure his boredom then a surprise visit to his little strawberry.

“Let’s go.”

With that Yoru and Ikuto chara changed and jumped over rooftops to Amu’s house. When they reached the balcony and opened the door there (unlocked as always) they saw Amu’s chara’s, but no Amu.

“Ikuto!!” all four chara’s shouted.

“Yo! Where’s Amu?” Where is she? Ikuto thought.

“She’s out on some errands and will be home soon.” Dia answered.

Ikuto sighed, “Great.”

“What’s that suppose to mean?” Miki asked dangerously.

“I came here hoping to find some entertainment, like teasing Amu maybe?”

“So you’re bored ~desu?” Su half stated, half asked.

“...Yeah.” Ikuto sweatdropped.

“Well until she gets back we’ll keep you company ~desu!”

Ikuto just walked over to the bed and laid down, “Whatever.”

“That’s not nice nya!” Yoru said from beside Miki.

“Well then what are we all going to do until Amu gets back?”

That’s when Miki called over Amu’s other chara’s and began whispering with them. Ikuto was getting a bad feeling about that. What were they up too?

When the five chara’s turned back to face Ikuto the pink one, Ran, flew over to him, “Let’s do it!”

Ikuto was confused, “Huh?”

“Just do the same thing Eru did that one time.” Miki was referring to when Eru made Amu character transform.

“What are you...” Ikuto was cut off by Ran shouting, “Ikuto’s heart unlock!”

There was a flash of pink light as the Dumpty Key made Ikuto character transform with Ran. When the light was gone there stood Ikuto.

“Character Narni: Dark Heart!”

Ikuto stood in the room wearing hot pink track pants, a light pink muscle shirt, and white and pink runners. He was also holding light/hot pink pom-poms.

“What the fuck am I wearing?!” Ikuto stouted staring at the very pink, very girly outfit.

“You said you were bored and this is how we’ll cure it. We’ll all character transform with you!” Ran shouted from inside his head.

“By destroying my male pride and dignity?!”

“Hey Ran! It’s my turn.” Miki flew over to ‘Dark Heart’.

“You wouldn’t...” before he could finish his character transformation started up again. Now there was a flash of blue light and when it faded there stood...

“Character Narni: Dark Spade!”

This time Ikuto had on an outfit that resembled Amu’s costume. The pants were longer and had more of a boyish style, the shirt looked almost identical including the frills, and the cap was a darker shade of blue.

There was a flash of light that came from the camera Ikuto just noticed the charas were holding.

“What are you taking pictures for?!”

“For Amu!” Miki answered from in his head as if it was the most obvious thing, “She will so want to see them.”

“NO! Don’t show them to Amu! Please!”

“Do you want them for blackmail then?”

Ikuto went silent. He didn’t want Amu to see them period.

“I’m next ~desu!” Su shouted as she was flying towards them.

“Oh god no!” he could just imagine the girly apron that was going to show up.

“Have fun.” Miki laughed. She was enjoying this.

Ikuto’s come back was cut off by a green light as his transformation with Su started.

“Character Narni: Dark Clover!”

Yoru and Dia nearly dropped the camera from laughing, but they managed to take the picture of Ikuto wearing green pants, green t-shirt, a white frilly apron, and a green bow on top of his head.

“This sucks.” Ikuto muttered under his breath.

“This is fun ~desu!” Su’s voice, Ikuto decided, was the worst of the three charas so far that had character transformed with him. He sent a silent prayer that this was the last one.

Right after he silently prayed, a bright yellow light enveloped him.

“Now it’s my turn.” Dia giggled.

“But...” Whatever he was about to say was interrupted by the transformation.

“Character Narni: Dark Daimond!”

“I thought you only character transformed with someone if they shone!”

“I agreed to this for the fun of it.” Dia giggled again.

This time Ikuto wore yellow jeans, white runners, a white wife beater, and a yellow hoodie. He also wore a belt with a diamond shaped belt buckle and a mic headset.

“Just wait until Amu sees this!” Miki shouted.

Ikuto heard giggling at the back of his head, “Ikuto, your shine just went up.” Ikuto went bright red.

There was an awkward silence then the charas bust out laughing, taking the picture.

“What’s everyone laughin...?” Amu trailed off when she opened the door and found her charas, Yoru, and Ikuto, “Ikuto...what are you doing? Wait don’t answer that! This is just my imagination. When I close the door and open it again everything will be normal.”

Amu closed the door as Ikuto sweat dropped. When she opened it again they were still where they had been when she first came in.

“Ok somebody better do some explaining.” Amu crossed her arms over her chest.

Yoru, Miki, Ran, and Su flew over holding the dreaded camera. After they explained everything to the pink haired girl about what was going on and showed her the pictures Amu was lying on the floor clutching her stomach from laughing so hard.

“I...can’t....believe....you guys....did THAT!!!” Amu got out between laughs.

The charas were laughing too. Even Dia was laughing in the back of Ikuto’s head. He just stood there feeling very humiliated, with his head bent, bangs covering his eyes.

“Ikuto,” he lifted his head to look at Amu, “Yellow is not your color, but the pink was cute.” Amu dissolved into laughter again.

His character transformation ended and he walked over to the balcony with Yoru following.

“See ya later Amu.” Much later! Ikuto thought. He needed revenge.

“Bye ‘Dark Heart’!” Amu was still laughing.

With that disappeared. His next thought:

Never go to Amu’s house unless she is there!

Ikuto watched the pink haired girl sleep peacefully on the hospital bed. He could faintly remember what the doctor had said.

“… Unknown disease... Cannot find a cure so fast... Tsukiyomi-San, she’s dieing.”

He knew that these were her last days. He just couldn’t bring himself to admit that. Amu’s chest moved up and down as she breathed, her mind somewhere in dreamland.

“Memory loss… unable to take in food… sink into a coma.”

He’d tried to make her remember him, but she just couldn’t. The memory she kept grasping at was slipping away. She couldn’t even remember who she herself was.

“Last day… Should say goodbye.”

“Amu,” He whispered, shakily reaching out a hand to stroke her pale cheek. She had lost weight rapidly, dropping from 105 to 84.

“Can you remember me? All those memories we had. The times I played my violin for you. Can you remember? You said you loved it.”

“Are you having a happy dream, Amu? Open your eyes for me.”

Amu opened her eyes, her golden eyes dull.

“Amu, do you still remember me?” Ikuto bent over her, his violet eyes searching hers.

Amu stared blankly at him, blinking slowly and carefully, almost like she was forgetting to do so.

“It’s okay if you don’t. I’ll tell you stories from the time we met. Remember the time when you fell on me? You woke me up from my nap. Didn’t you love the amusement park I took you to at night?”

Amu opened her mouth, like she was about to say something. Ikuto waited patiently, but her pale pink lips closed again, as if she had forgotten what she was going to say.

“Remember Easter? And your Shugo Charas? They were Miki, Suu, Dia, and Ran.”

Something flickered in Amu’s eyes.

“I’m Ikuto, remember?”

Amu reached out a thin hand to caress his face.

“Ikuto?” She repeated, just saying something seemed to tire her.

“Yes. Ikuto. We planned to get married in the Spring, remember? We would have a family together, and watch them grow up.” Ikuto’s voice cracked.

Amu was slowly slipping away, her heartbeat growing slower and fainter with each beat.

“Amu, don’t go yet. You’ll get better. Don’t leave me, please?” Ikuto was begging now, desperate for one more day.

“I’m sure they’ll find a cure for you, just wait a bit longer. Do you need me to get something for you?”

He knew he shouldn’t be doing this. If Amu wanted to go, she should, shouldn’t she?

“Amu, stay for just a bit longer. For me, Amu?”

Her heartbeat was slowly growing stronger.

“Stay with me, Amu. Didn’t we say we were going to build a loving family together? I can’t do it without you.”

Amu’s eyes closed, her lips curving up into a smile. She was too tired to talk, but Ikuto would talk for her.

“What about our wedding? You’ve already picked out the dress. Do you remember it?”

Shaking her head slightly, Amu opened her eyes to look up back at him.

“Utau will bring it for you tomorrow. We’ll have our own private wedding at the hospital. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

Amu sighed, her eyelids flickering closed.

“Amu?”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Her heartbeat was nearly gone.

“Amu, won’t you stay with me a bit longer? Tomorrow we’ll finally be married. Amu?”

Amu’s tired eyes opened once more.

“Don’t die, Amu. I love you.”

Her lips opened.

“I love you, too.” It was just a whisper, all she could bring herself to say.

Her pulse was gone.

The monitor beeped, the green line going straight now.

Ikuto went numb.

“Tsukiyomi-San, she’s gone.”

The next day, Ikuto died from unknown causes. Some say a broken heart, others say from the same disease that Amu had. Unfortunately, they never had their wedding here.

“Hey, Amu. Today’s our wedding.”

Amu blushed, looking beautiful in her wedding dress.

“I know.”

“I love you, Amu.”

“I love you, too.”

They would have their own private wedding in heaven.

This is a myth I read but it might be true I dunno
-Girl
I love you.


- Boy:
Yeah I know everyone does!


-Girl:
Really?

- Boy:
Yeah...every one of my friends that are
girls tell me that everyday.


- Girl:
Oh...but am I only your friend?


- Boy:
No...you're my girlfriend...why?


- Girl:
So when I say I love you I really do
mean it.


- Boy:
Yeah I know you do mean it...its just
that you dont need to tell me that you
love me anymore cuz I know you love me
since the day we been together and i
love you more each and everyday.


- Girl:
......


- Boy:
So wanna go somewhere tonight for our
7th anniversary?


- Girl:
Yeah...wher e?


- Boy:
I dont know...maybe movie then dinner?


- Girl:
Ok.


- Boy:
Ill pick you up after I get off and get
ready ok?


- Girl:
Ok. What time do you get off?


- Boy:
In 2 hours and then I gotta go home and
yeah get ready which takes about 15-20
mintues...

-Girl:
hey...I thought you didnt have work
today...


- Boy:
One of my co-workers called in sick.


- Girl:
Oh okay! So ill see you around 7:30
then?


- Boy:
Yeah! and babe?


- Girl:
Yeah?

- Boy:
I love you.


- Girl:
I love you too!


- Boy:
Ok my manager is like looking at me so
yeah.... i gotta go.


- Girl:
Ok bye.


- Boy:
Bye.


**************** ************


2 hours later...


The guy drives to his girlfriends house
and walks up to the door and rings
bell.

- Girl:
Hey! (gives a kiss to her boyfriend)

- Boy:
Wassup...you ready?


- Girl:
Um...wait.. .let me get my bag and we
can
go ok?


- Boy:
Ok.

They both watched a movie and ate
dinner...once they were done eating
they
he ad back to the car but before she got
into the car...


- Boy:
Wait! Can I blind fold you?


- Girl:
Why??!

- Boy:
Its a suprise.


- Girl:
What kind of suprise?


- Boy:
A big one.


- Girl:
Okay but only if you promise me that
you
will hold my hand while we're driving.


- Boy:
I promise.


- Girl:
Ok blind fold me...


So they drove off...........and then
they stoped.


- Boy:
Ok we're here!


-Gi rl:
Where?


- Boy:
Wait let me walk you to the place!


- Girl:
What place?


- Boy:
Somewhere! (and gives a kiss to her on
the lips)


- Girl:
Baby!...


The boy walks her to the place.


- Boy:
Ok...let me take the blind fold off.


- Girl:
Where are we?


He takes it off her and she opens her
eyes and sees the view of the city and
at that same spot...that's where he
first asked her to be his
girlfriend... .


- Girl:
Omg...(tear s come down)


- Boy:
Why are you crying?


- Girl:
This is where you first asked me out...

-Boy:
What are you doing the rest of your
life? (he asked on his knees and after
he says that...behind him...in the air
it says "Will you marry me?" in
fireworks)


- Girl:
(tears come down faster)


- Boy:
I wasnt at work when you called me...I
was planning this whole thing!


- Girl:
Get up!


- Boy:
Yeah?


- Girl:
(kisses him)
- Boy:
Is that a yes or a no?


- Girl:
Yes.


If you don't repost this you will have
the loneliest life!

BUT!

If you do repost this, you will have a
relationship that will last as long as
you want it to be!

“Papa! Mama!” Ami squealed, and jumped into her mother’s arms.

Amu smiled as she took in her mother’s dark brown hair and golden eyes, and her father’s light brown hair and golden eyes.

For a second she wondered how in the world she got pink hair. Must’ve been a recessive gene, hm…

“Welcome back, Mama, Papa,” Amu greeted warmly, as she moved forward for a hug.

“Thank you Amu dear, you’ve done well all by yourself,” Midori said, as she embraced her daughter.

“My little sparrow is growing up!!” Tsumugu cried, hugging Amu as well.

“So, what did you think of the prince?” Midori asked she released her daughter, although her husband was little crying in the background.

“Mmm…he’s grown on me,” the pink-haired girl admitted.

Laughing, the mother picked up a few boxes.

“That’s good. Unfortunately, we have a lot of work to do which you’ll have to take part in…”

“I know. I won’t be able to see him.”

“Sorry, Amu dear.”

-

And is this the end,

Of Cat and Mouse?

The cat is growing hungry,

But it is not his stomach that is empty,

It is his heart,

That is growing lonely…

Too late,

Should have run faster,

To catch the mouse…

-

“Ikuto! You need to shape up, you can’t be this irresponsible, sneaking out every night after you get married!” The Queen said, irritated at her son.

“I told you I didn’t want to get married, Mother,” Ikuto hissed, aggravated as well.

“You have no choice,” his mother snapped. “We told you that if you did not find a suitable wife, we would arrange the marriage for you. The time is nearing, Ikuto, you will be 18 soon. And have I been introduced to a suitable princess yet? No.”

The prince glared at his mother.

“I have found a suitable girl, mother.”

“Oh, then where is she?”

“…I have not seen her for some time.”

“Then she must not fancy you as you do her. And I heard the word girl, Ikuto. I want a princess, not a girl. Royalty must marry royalty, not commoners. You have never taken a liking to any of the commoner girl anyway, why change that?”

The two glared at each other until the blue-haired prince stormed off to his room.

“Ikuto!” His mother yelled, but he ignored her and slammed the door, throwing himself onto his bed.

“Ikuto, nya?” Yoru asked, worried.

“It’s nothing,” his owner replied, his irritation melting.

Two months had passed since the girl last visited him. Why hadn’t she come recently? He assumed that she would have stolen something by now.

During his late-night taiyaki adventures, he had heard from Gen that the girl had not been appearing recently, either. No one knew what happened to her; perhaps it was because the shabbier towns had shaped up enough. Or perhaps she was caught, or went to another kingdom, or perhaps gave up being a thief altogether.

Ikuto had never really thought that she was disappear like that. He liked her, that was for sure, and perhaps blinded by his own feelings, he thought she liked him too.

He was always a lone wolf. The stuck-up, haughty princesses from other kingdoms made him yawn, talking about nothing except their clothing and bragging about their riches. He did not particularly mind marrying a ‘commoner’, but most would probably marry him only for his riches or looks, and not understand him. Finding a commoner who did would be rare, and he did not want to go through all that trouble.

And plus, Amu had grown on him. He liked her, and finding someone else would be like replacing her, which could not be done. She was pretty, she was clever, and she understood him and was not swayed by his sarcastic remarks or his handsome looks. She talked to him like everyone else, not sucking up to him because he was the prince.

He was lonely, perhaps we could say.

He thought he had finally found that someone special, but in the end, she left him, taking his heart with her.

Yes, she was certainly a good thief.

“Girlie’s never been caught.”

Yes, certainly, he couldn’t even catch her when she stole his heart.

-

“Amu, you look gorgeous, stop fussing with your hair.”

“But it’s been so long…I’m not used to it, it looks weird…”

“It looks fine, Amu dear. Let me do your makeup, and then we’ll leave. We definitely can’t be late for this.”

“This is going to be so embarrassing…”

“It’ll be fine.” Midori repeated yet again. “You said so yourself, didn’t you? That—”

“NOOOO, MAMA STOP! It’s so embarrassing! Don’t say things like those out loud!”

Giggling, the mother applied some eyeshadow and lipgloss, and stepped back to observe her work. She studied her daughter for a few moments, then stepped forwards again to apply some finishing touches.

“Mama…” Amu said uncertainly, “…Do you really think this will work out? It’s been so long…”

A noise sounded from downstairs, Tsumugu tripping over something.

“…angry?”

Sighing, Midori repeated the words for the third time. “It. Will. Be. Fine. You need to stop freaking yourself out. Alright, we’re ready.”

Amu gasped, both from nerves and her image in the mirror.

“Mama…is…?”

Smiling, Midori observed her daughter and admired her own work.

“Of course. Now, let’s go.”

-

“And this is Princess Hana Kuruzumi, from the Flower Kingdom,” said their butler, introducing the princesses from different kingdoms. “She likes all flowers, though Sakura trees are her favorite.”

“Huh.” Ikuto showed no interest, staring out the window. Today was a nice day, it made him feel sleepy…

“And lastly, this is Princess Yuki Kanao, from the Snow Kingdom. She like fluffy things and animals, especially rabbits.”

“Sure…”

As soon as the blue-haired girl left, looking rather dejected, the Queen stood.

“Ikuto. You must now choose a Princess.”

“None of them interest me. Don’t you see they’re all ready to suck it up? I’d rather someone who would actually talk to me instead of having someone else prettying their words up for them.”

“Ikuto—”

“HOOOOOOOOLD IT, WAIT A SECOND~ YOU’RE FOREGETING SOMEONE HEEEEEERE!” A voice rang out, extremely loud and clear.

The butler looked confused, and so did the King and Queen. There were supposed to be exactly sixty-four introductions, not sixty-five. Who in the world was this?

The large mahogany door flew open with a bang.

“Osu, How’ve you been, Souko, Aruto?”

The prince heard his mother gasp, and he broke his eye contact away from the window, glancing at the two people in front of him. A slim, brown-haired woman wearing an elaborate cream-colored dress, and a man with lighter brown hair wearing fancy blue colored robes.

Hm, never seen them before, didn’t know who they were, didn’t care. They didn’t look all too special.

“Midori?! Tsumugu?!” The queen shrieked, disbelief in her voice.

“In the flesh,” Midori announced, holding out her arms, in which Souko threw herself into.

“Oh my God, oh my God!!!”

The prince heard his mother shriek continuously, happiness evident in her voice. Soon, she started sobbing, her words incoherent.

Weird. He never saw his mother break down like that, like a little girl.

“Tsumugu!!”

“Aruto! Long time no see, hm? Still playing that violin of yours?”

“Of course, still taking those photos of scenery and your daughters?”

“…That kinda sounds like I’m a stalker or something of my own children…but yeah, I am!”

The two men laughed, linking arms in greeting.

“Where the hell have you been?” Aruto asked curiously, “We haven’t seen you in six years…”

Six years…? Ikuto thought, still refusing to break his eye contact from the window. Wasn’t that when the Humpty Kingdom fell?

“Rebuilding our Kingdom of course. And we’re done, so we decided to come back. Oh, and if you want to permanently merge our two kingdoms together…we can seal it with marriage…”

Tolerance finally breaking, Ikuto stood up, furious.

“Is marriage all you think about?! What about me, I don’t want to get married. None of the candidates interest me—” He shouted, and the adults blinked at him before Midori cut the prince off.

“But you haven’t met the last candidate,” she said, smiling.

“That doesn’t matter. There is…was only one girl who I liked, and she is long gone.” The prince snapped angrily.

“How do you know she isn’t royalty?” Tsumugu asked, smiling as well.

Ikuto was getting more and more irritated, why were these strangers smiling at him like a stupid little boy?

“Because she was a thief.”

“Hey, hey, that doesn’t mean she wasn’t royalty,” Tsumugu said.

“She didn’t talk like royalty, dressed in it, nor showed any attitude that royalty would hold,” the prince replied, still irritated.

“Hey, that hurts you know. Just because I’m not spoiled, talk and act all haughty and done laugh like ‘oh ho ho ho!’ doesn’t mean I’m not royalty,” a female voice cut in.

That voice…the midnight-haired prince turned, eyes wide.

“Don’t jump to conclusions, you know? You only knew my name, and nothing else.”

The girl stepped forward, and she smirked at him.

“Sorry I’m not royal enough for you, Ikuto.”

She looked absolutely stunning in her dress, red and white, embroidered with some gold and decorated with lace and bows. Light makeup highlighted her face, her medium-length, bubblegum pink hair hanging in ringlets with a small tiara atop her head.

“…What happened to your hair?” He questioned. It was sort of off topic, but…

“Well,” Amu said, fixing a ringlet, “Pink is my natural hair color. But as I worked as a thief, this color is really noticeable, so I put a wig over it. And someone might recognize me.”

“Ahhh,” Souko said, “So you’re the mysterious girl thief who’s been shaping up the shabbier parts of our Kingdom.”

Smiling, the pink-haired girl curtsied.

“Yes. Princess Amu Hinamori from the Humpty Kingdom, at your service. I like strawberries.”

Raising an eyebrow, Ikuto looked amused.

“That’s all you have to say about yourself?”

“If you’re really interested in me, then you’ll figure out the rest, won’t you? But there’s no point in telling someone about myself if they don’t care.” Amu said, smiling.

“Then I’ll have to say that I’m very interested,” Ikuto replied, smirking. Turning to the Queen, he said, “Mother, I’ve decided that I shall marry Princess Amu Hinamori.”

Hiding a squeal, Souko turned to the pink-haired princess.

“Princess Amu Hinamori, do you agree?”

“I’d rather I get proposed to traditionally, rather than having someone else ask me to marry someone…”

Amused, Ikuto turned to his mother, who handed him a small box.

Coming down from his seat, he stood in front of Amu and then sank to one knee.

“Since the first day I saw you, you intrigued me. And as I saw more of you, I began to love you. Princess Amu Hinamori, will you marry me?”

Giggling, the girl held out her hand.

“I will.”

He slid the ring on her finger and stood again, gazing into her eyes until Midori coughed.

“Ahem. Well, let us old people discuss the marriage and the past. Why don’t you take Amu around the castle or something?”

Mischief dancing in the prince’s eyes, he held the golden-eyed princess’s hand and led her out the door.

The kings and queens smiled, and Midori and Souko looked at each other and said, “Don’t they make just the cutest couple?”

“They might rival us,” Tsumugu and Aruto said, as they both hugged their wives.

-

“Hmmm. Now I’m actually in your room with an invitation,” Amu said, sitting on the bed. “…hard to believe we’re going to be married…”

The prince looked at her and sat down next to her.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were a princess?”

“Well…never really thought of it, truthfully. What am I supposed to say, ‘Hey, by the way, I’m a princess from the Humpty Kingdom working as a thief to help fix up your kingdom?’”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…What? Why are you staring at me?” Amu said, self conscious.

“Well, I was just thinking…” Ikuto said, “The man I buy taiyaki from…when he told me about you, he said you’d never been caught…”

“…”

Ikuto hugged her.

“Caught you.”

Amu laughed.

“Damn, you just ruined my reputation.”

“It’s okay, you retired as a thief anyway…”

The pink-haired girl fell backwards, Ikuto still hugging her.

He nibbled her ear, and she squealed.

“Hey, hey, I’m still too young for that, you know!”

“For what? You’re such a dirty-minded pervert…”

“Grrr!”

And Yoru flicked off the lights, meowing as he floated into his egg to sleep.

-

And thus ends our game…

Of Cat and Mouse.

-

“Hey, hey…we were basically ignored…” Ran sighed, sitting outside on the balcony.

“I wonder what they’re doing in there?” Suu said, trying to peer through the curtains.

“Make out session?” Dia suggested.

“Eeek! How mature, desu!” Suu gasped, hiding her eyes.

“Hey, what are you drawing?” Ran asked, peering over Miki’s shoulder.

“Amu and Ikuto’s future child…” the blue spade chara replied, coloring in the eyes.

“Wow…he’s gorgeous. Or she.” Dia said, “The sparkle is going to be blinding.”

“…You think we’ll still be around when their child is born?” Ran asked a little sadly.

“…I hope so…but even if we’re not…we’ve served our purpose, and we’ll still remain in her heart.” Miki replied, a little sadly as well.

“Mmm…but we haven’t disappeared yet, so let’s be useful and play around to out heart’s content!” Ran cheered.

Her sisters smiled.

Ikuto eyed his surrounding as he waited for his taiyaki to be done. The place seemed much less shabby.

“Something happened?” Ikuto asked Gen casually, watching children chase each other with glee.

The man grinned, obviously extremely happy. “Not jus’ this place, sonny. ‘Ole kingdom’s gettin’ better. The towns the king n’ queen have ignored for years now have been shapin’ up ‘normously. Tha’ girl thief again. Bloody ‘mazin’, I tell ya.”

Smiling lightly, the prince closed his eyes. “The girl thief, huh?”

“Tha’s right. The king n’ queen aren’t bad rulers, but they need ta shape up. It’s been six years a’ready.” The taiyaki maker shook her head as he worked on the last pastry.

“Six years…?”

“Gen!! Hurry up! It’s past closing time already, we need ta hurry if we wanna get a good spot!” a stranger called, and Gen laughed heartily.

“I’ll be there! Woul’n miss it for the world!”

He handed the prince his chocolate-filled taiyaki. “Cel’bration party. Looks like ev’one’s hard work paid off in the end, eeh? Finally, ev’thing’s changin’ fer tha better…”

“…What do you mean?” Ikuto asked, slightly suspicious.

“I don’ know the details…bu’ six years ago, when the Humpy Kingdom was reduced to ashes, I ‘eard the king n’ queen were devastated. Dunno why, always thou’ kingdoms were always at war wit each other fer territory.”

The Humpty Kingdom…the name sounded vaguely familiar. Truthfully, he didn’t know much about his own kingdom. Since he didn’t attend school, (he was a prince afterall) normally a tutor would come to the castle to teach him. He was extremely stubborn, however, especially when he was young, and all the male or elderly tutors eventually got fed up with him and quit. Younger female tutors were just too giggly over him to teach him anything.

He was brilliant at everything else except the history of his own kingdom. Ikuto just didn’t really see much point to know it…until now. The Dumpty Kingdom’s relationship with the Humpty Kingdom six years ago…he’d be eleven then.

“Anyway, gotta close up now. ‘Njoy yer taiyaki.”

Ikuto placed another coin and walked, inwardly smiling. “Thanks for the information and the fish, Gen.”

Another 10,000 yen coin.

Well, he could spend it on some more food and other things for the celebration party…

-

“Taiyaki, huh. So you like chocolate?”

He eyes widened a bit as he flipped on the lights. The girl sat in the middle of his bed, reading a book as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

The only thing wrong with the picture was that she had bandages over her arms and a few band-aids on her legs, and one on her face.

Ikuto narrowed his eyes a little before sitting on the edge of his bed.

“…What happened?”

“I am a thief…people do hunt me down, you know…” she set down her book and sat up.

“Hmmm…have the palace guards done anything?”

“Nope…your castle is too easy. Mostly by other violent thieves who want to capture me and threaten me so I can steal for them. They can’t even be considered as thieves…couldn’t steal candy from a baby.”

Wordlessly, the prince handed Amu a pastry, and she slowly nibbled at it.

An awkward silence fell over them.

“The Humpty Kingdom…”

“What?”

“Something I heard from Gen…taiyaki seller. Know anything?”

“Um…the kingdom that fell six years ago, right? The Humpty Kingdom and Dumpty Kingdom used to work together, and were basically a world of their own. Before the Humpty Kingdom fell, I think the Kings and Queens just considered themselves as one, since it was really…almost impossible for one to function without the other.”

Amu paused, chewing some taiyaki before straining to remember.

“Sorry, I can’t tell you much…but your mother and father have done an amazing job ruling the kingdom after that incident.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, although several of the smaller towns are in bad shape, the main cities are doing extremely well, which is keeping the economy running. And they’ve kept it running like this for six years, if it were anyone else the kingdom would have fallen right after the Humpty Kingdom did. Although they could have done something about the areas of poverty…they have more than enough supplies and money to shape up it up.”

“You seem to know…a lot about my kingdom.”

Amu smirked lightly, finishing off her pastry. “You’re just stupid.”

The prince smirked back. “But you were wrong about one thing.”

“Oh? And that is?”

“That we have more than enough money to spend. The large cities are doing well because we’re supplying them with money, and it’s not cheap. Plus after the Humpty Kingdom fell, several areas of the Dumpty Kingdom were crushed, so we spent a lot of money on repairs.”

“Hmmm….I thought you didn’t know much about your own Kingdom?”

“Wha—How did you know that?”

“Well, let’s just say I overheard your parents talking…something about Ikuto needing to act more responsible and learn about his duties when he becomes king? As a boy he never listened to anyone when they tried teaching him about his own kingdom…”

Raising an eyebrow, she chuckled. “Stubborn, were you?”

“Eavesdropping is a bad habit.”

“Hypocrite.”

Amu lay down again, curling up in sort of a half-ball.

“Sleepy…”

“Hey…”

Ikuto leaned down and nibbled her ear, whispering.

“If you sleep here, I might do something to you…”

“You won’t…because…I trust you…”

Blinking, the prince sighed and stared at her sleeping face. She was too innocent; he couldn’t do anything to her.

He picked up the book she had been reading and opened it, managing a few pages before he himself fell asleep.

“If Tsumugu-papa knew she slept with a boy…” Suu whispered to her sisters, her big green eyes wide.

“He’d go beserk!” Ran laughed.

“Shhh!” Dia and Miki said together, so the two wouldn’t wake up. Yoru was out cold in his egg on the desk, and Amu’s fours characters slipped into their own eggs as well.

-

The next morning, she was gone. It was rather early, the sun barely up yet.

The place where the thief had slept was cold, so Ikuto assumed she left quite a bit ago. Yoru was still snoring in his egg, and the prince yawned and fell back asleep.

-

“I can’t believe I just felt asleep there like that,” Amu groaned as she slipped into her own bed at home, removing her wig and putting on pajamas. “Thank god Ami went to sleep early that night…”

“If Tsumugu-papa found out you slept with a boy…!” Suu told Amu, her big green eyes wide and innocent like the night before.

“He’d go beserk!” Ran repeated, laughing again.

“Ergh, It was a mistake, I know, okay?” Amu groaned, slipping under her blankets. “Don’t tell him, please,” she added worriedly.

“You know he can’t see us,” Miki told her, sketching.

“But he can hear you if you get close enough and loud enough,” Amu reminded them. “So…please?”

“Even if you say that, Ran is such a loudmouth…something might slip…” Dia sighed, and Ran pouted.

“I am not!”

“All you do is cheer…”

“Do not! I’m useful, too!”

“I didn’t mean it that way…”

At that moment, Amu’s cell phone rang, the cute ringtone playing as the owner rolled over tiredly.

“Hello?” She mumbled.

“Hi, Amu dear. The preparations have been complete…we’ll be returning very soon!”

“Mama!” The pink-haired girl gasped, clutching the phone tighter. “Really?! When?!”

“Papa assumes tomorrow morning, if all goes well. We’re on a train right now,” Midori responded. “Is Ami sleeping?”

“That’s great! And yeah, Ami’s in her room right now. She’s still sleeping,” Amu avoided hinting or revealing that she had spent the night at Prince Ikuto’s room.

“That’s good,” the mother said, “We hope you’ve been well. We’ll see you tomorrow, then, honey.”

“Mmmhm, have a safe trip!” Amu said, and snapped her phone shut.

Turning and grinning widely at her characters, she announced, “It’s done. Preparations are complete and Mama and Papa will be returning tomorrow. Our job is done.”

“Done, huh? It’ll be a bit odd, returning to normal life…” Dia murmured.

Amu held up her wig and black costume, looking at them for a minute.

“…I think I might miss these. Those adventures were fun.”

“Well, keep them,” Ran laughed.

“You never know when you might need them, desu~!” Suu said.

“And I could always design you a new one,” Miki added.

Smiling, Amu packed them into a cardboard box.

“And this room…we’ll be moving back, as well…”

Turning back to the cardboard box containing the wig and costume, she smiled a little sadly.

“…See you,” She said, and folded down the flaps, closing the box.

-

Is this it?

In this third round,

The cat is home, and the mouse,

The mouse is escaping…

Hurry, you feline,

Perhaps if you act,

The mouse may still be caught.

But if you delay…

Chances of catching the mouse

Dwindle…

Day Two.

-

It had been about two weeks since that girl appeared.

Ikuto had predicted that the girl would appear again, and his confidence did not waver. It wasn’t like her thievery had patterns, but today, he had a feeling he would be seeing her very soon…

The moon was bright tonight, and he lay on his bed, reading a book, Yoru munching a crepe at his side.

“Ack, bad luck.”

Bingo.

Smirking, Ikuto put down his book and turned his attention to the door. Standing there was the girl from two weeks ago, the golden-eyed, black haired thief.

“Inexperienced, aren’t you? Shouldn’t you try to remember where you’ve been and haven’t been?” he told her, amused.

“Well, this is a palace, after all. I haven’t lived here all my life, and I’m still young. I have other things more important to remember,” the thief said. “Today’s bad luck. Maybe the cards will be dealt differently next time.”

“Hmmm,” Ikuto stared at her, the smirk still on his lips, “Well, they do say black cats are bad luck.”

“Well, that’s just a superstition, isn’t it?” The girl smirked back, seating herself on the chair at the prince’s desk.

“We should go~” A voice said.

“Oh? You have a guardian character, as well?” Ikuto said, slightly interested.

Smiling, the girl held up four fingers, and four characters appeared around her. A red heart, a blue spade, a green clover, and yellow diamond.

“You know~ He’s rather nice, if he hasn’t called the guards yet, desu~” the green one said, her large green eyes full of innocence.

“He won’t,” the golden-eyed girl said airily. “My presence here is amusing for him.”

“Amu-chan,” said the blue one sternly, and she sighed.

“Alright, Miki, I’m going.”

Ikuto stood by the window, blocking the girl’s escape, looking bored.

“Sorry, kitty, but I can’t play with you today…”

“But Amu, I’m so bored.”

Ikuto had always thought he had extraordinary reflexes (he had a cat as a guardian character after all) but the girl had somehow slipped past him and was standing on his balcony.

“You know, I’ve only just met you. An honorific would be preferred.” She told him, barely visible in the night with her black clothes and hair.

“I’m a prince. Other people’s preferences don’t matter to me,” Ikuto told her, shrugging.

“What a self-centered prince. You should know better than anyone else in this palace what goes on in the rest of your kingdom!!”

She was suddenly furious, that much was obvious. Why she cared so much about the kingdom, he didn’t know.

“I never said I didn’t care about my people.”

“You only started to realize when you started sneaking out. Don’t forget that you live bathing in gold and jewels because of your people.”

Something sparkled brilliantly in the dark, catching the faint light escaping from the prince’s room.

“I’ll be taking this.”

Ikuto stepped forward, and she was gone. She and her four characters left not even the tiniest hint that they were there. The night was silent.

-

“Pwahhh, that bath felt good~” Amu sighed, falling onto her bed.

“Good work today!!” the pink heart character yelled loudly, flailing her pom-poms around.

“Thanks, Ran. Good work, also. Your character changes have saved me millions of times.”

The blue spade, green clover and yellow diamond coughed lightly.

“N-Not to mention Miki’s fabulous disguises, Su’s cooking and cleaning talents so I can act as a maid, and Dia’s bright distractions!”

The three smiled in satisfaction.

“The Tsukiyomi Palace certainly has a lot of these large trinkets…” Miki murmured as she floated over to today’s stolen item, a thick gold necklace with a baseball sized diamond hanging from it. Sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and several other jewels surrounded it, a thin wire of gold holding them in place with an elaborate design.

“They’re so brilliant,” Dia commented, shielding her eyes from the sparkle. “And gaudy. I’m not surprised the Queen would rather have it out of her palace.”

Amu sighed as she sat up and dried her hair. The black wig hung in her closet, the golden-eyed girl’s medium length, cotton-candy pink colored hair exposed without it.

“Either way, it’s worth quite a lot.”

For a while, no one said anything, and Amu grabbed herself a bottle of milk in the meantime.

“…He was quite artistic.” Miki said, sketching something.

“Who?” Ran asked, floating over to her guardian sister.

“The prince.” Dia answered for the blue spade. “He had a certain sparkle to him, too. It’s dim and needs some polishing, but his sparkle is there.”

Amu sat on her bed again, sipping her milk after gulping large quantities of it before.

“…The King and Queen of the Dumpty Kingdom aren’t bad rulers, but they can do better. The areas of poverty—the royalty have more than enough money and provisions to spend on it to make it a better place. They’re either blind to their own kingdom, or they just chose not to evolve it.”

Pausing, the pink-haired girl swirled the contents of the milk bottle.

“…However, the Prince…it’s possible. The Dumpty Kingdom cannot fall like the Humpty Kingdom did. Everything will be ruined if the both of the most important kingdoms are lost. Everything…the Guardian World needs to change.”

“Amu-chan…” Su whispered, a hint of sadness tinting her voice.

Smiling, Amu finished her milk. “It’s alright. We’re working hard. ‘Do not let the Dumpty Kingdom fall.’ And we won’t.”

Miki smiled also as she sketched something. “That’s right. Your grandparents made a grave mistake, but Tsumugu and Midori are working hard to reverse it.”

“And soon, we will stand strong again…” Dia murmured, her eyes closed and her mouth curled into a small smile of her own. “Everything will be whole...”

“Go, go Amu-chan! Fight, win, Tsumugu-papa! Go, go Midori-mama!” Ran cheered enthusiastically.

“We’ll have a big party after everything, desu!” Su said cheerfully.

Amu’s smile grew larger at the sight of her optimistic characters, but it faltered a little.

“…I wish I could help them,” she whispered. “If only…”

Dia shook her head.

“Your responsibilities are different right now. Ami and evolving the Dumpty Kingdom are your priorities. Tsumugu and Midori sent you here so that both you and your sister could stay out of danger.”

“They’re strong,” Ran added. “Don’t worry.”

“It’s like a group mission, desu~” Su said. “Tsumugu-papa and Midori-mama will evolve the other side, while you evolve this side~”

Amu’s smile regained its strength. “Thanks.”

“Ohh? Amu-chan’s not stubborn for once~” Ran teased, floating in circles around her owner’s head.

Swatting at her character, Amu’s voice rose to a loud volume. “RAN! And it’s not like I’m always stubborn!”

“See, you’re so stubborn that you don’t want to admit it!” The heart character laughed, dodging her owner’s fists.

“GRR!! I’M NOT—”

“Onee-chan?”

A small voice diminished the loud scene. The door was opened a crack, and a small girl with curly, light orange-brown hair rubbed her eyes.

“Ami? Sorry, did I wake you?”

Amu hurried towards her little sister and picked her up.

“No…I’m scared…I don’t want to sleep in my room tonight…”

Smiling gently, Amu carried Ami to her own bed. “You want to sleep with onee-chan tonight, then?”

Ami mumbled a sleepy ‘yes’, already half-asleep in her older sister’s arms.

The pink-haired girl tucked n her younger sister, then turned off the lights as she crawled into bed herself. Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia entered their eggs and went to sleep as well.

-

The second round

Of Cat and Mouse:

The Cat has failed,

And the Mouse has escaped.

Not much longer…

And this game will end.

Day One.

-

“M-My Queen…I sincerely apologize…the moonlit diamond has been stolen…”

The elegant woman in her beautiful clothes merely shrugged.

“It was of no importance. It was quite a nuisance actually, and I am truthfully glad it is no longer in my palace.”

The servant bowed and left the throne room.

The prince, standing outside the doors, listened to his parents’ conversation.

“Ikuto is coming of age. We must find a proper bride for him soon.” His mother said, sighing.

“That is a task that will prove difficult. He shows no interest in women.” His father replied.

“Such a troublesome son, honestly. He’s never anywhere else aside from his room.”

“Then arrange a marriage.”

“I will have to, if he doesn’t show any interest in someone within the rest of the year.”

Tired of hearing of love and marriages and anything prince-related, he returned to his room, his only place of peace.

Slipping out of his own elaborate robes, silk shirts and pants, he changed into a more…commoner-looking outfit; a black collared shirt with silver crosses and blue lining and black pants with two straps on each leg.

“Yoru.”

“I’m here, nya…”

The prince’s cat shugo chara floated to its owner from the bed, rubbing its eyes sleepily.

Ikuto was already slipping on a black wig and sunglasses to hide is midnight blue hair and eyes, as well as some black shoes. Too much black probably, but it was a color that would help him blend into the night.

“Are we going to get some taiyaki, nya?!” Yoru said excitedly, for taiyaki was a ‘commoner’s food’ that his parents would never allow him to eat. Though truthfully, they probably didn’t know it even existed.

“Why not.”

Yoru cheered, and they both slipped out the window and into the darkness.

-

During these walks he took, he had discovered things about his kingdom he had never known before.

He lived in the palace, full of everything he needed and wanted. Areas of what his parents ruled, however, had nearly nothing. Poverty.

Dropping by the taiyaki stand as always when he went out, the man who owned the stand smiled in recognition.

“Heya, come to visit, eh? How many will it be today?”

“Four,” Ikuto told him, handing him the money. “Chocolate filled.”

“Yannow, I’ve noticed ya seem kinda wealthy, so I’ll tell ya that ya shouldn’t be hangin’ round these parts. Theives, yannow.”

Ikuto shrugged. “I wander. I’m a stray cat on the inside, after all.”

The taiyaki man laughed. “Then I’ll assume you’re good at escapin’, too.”

The prince didn’t respond, and the man laughed again, working to make the pastry.

As Ikuto waited, he looked around. Obviously, no one recognized him because of his disguise. In addition, a filthy rich prince would have no business in a run-down place like this.

“The town’s been doin’ better recen’ly.” The taiyaki man told him.

“Really? Better business?” the prince asked, not too curious.

“Nah. Folks who’ve money to act’lly spend spend it on other things than what we sell here. It’s tha girl thief.”

“Thief?” the prince was interested now.

“Yah. Steals from the palace, I hear. Bloody ‘mazin’ at wot she does. Girlie’s never been caught.”

Ikuto inwardly smiled, thinking of all the things that had been stolen from his parents, but had been dubbed worthless or useless to them.

“Modest girl, tho’,” the taiyaki man continued. “ ‘Parently only steals the stuff the king’n’queen don’t want or need. Kindhearted, really.” He handed Ikuto a brown paper bag. “Here ya go, four fresh chocolate-filled taiyaki.”

Taking the bag, Ikuto placed coin on the counter. “Thanks, pops. I learned something interesting today. Consider it tip for the taiyaki.” He started walking.

The man laughed and called after him, “Name’s Gen Takehashi!”

Ikuto merely waved with the back of his hand as he disappeared into the night.

Gen took a cloth and wiped the counter down, and picked up the coin his last customer for the night had given him. He had almost forgotten about it. Tips were rare, and usually ranged from a 50 yen coin or 100 yen.

However, this mysterious person who visited rarely had given him a 10,000 yen coin. That was way more than what he could made in two months, or even longer.

Sighing, he tucked the coin away. Ikuto was too far away already for him to chase, and it was purposely given to him. Smiling and chuckling, he muttered a light insult. “Filthy rich brat. Who is he, the prince?” Laughing at his own joke, he closed down the stand for today.

-


“Ikuto!!” his mother screeched when she saw him in his ‘commoner’s clothes’, eating ‘commoner’s food’. “Where have you been sneaking off to?!”

“Wherever I please. Isn’t that was princes do, mother?”

His response was sarcastic and he made his way to his room easily in the black clothes instead of the colorful, layered elaborate ones that gave him a more princely appearance. The Queen had trouble moving as quick as he could with all her petticoats and layers and whatever else she wore, and thus was unable to catch her son before he slipped back into his room and locked the door.

“Shit.”

He heard someone curse, and it was obviously not Yoru or himself.

Turning around, a girl clad in a black suit seemed to be in the process of escaping out his window. She had long, black hair and liquid honey-gold eyes…

She jumped and fled before he could say anything.

A few minutes after her escape, he smirked too himself.

She would be back. He was sure of it. That girl thief, huh?

Girlie’s never been caught, He remembered Gen saying.

Chuckling to himself, his midnight blue eyes showed mischief.

-


And so a mouse found its way

Into the home of a cat.

Thus,

Let of the game of Cat and Mouse…

Begin.

Amu and Ikuto are a officially a couple now since they have defeated Easter. And im going to explain some moments/flashbacks of them being together, so I have no idea how I am going to do that but oh well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 years ago in Ikutos memories~~~~~

The door bell rang at the Hinamori’s residence. Her mother had answered the door, a tall but slim boy with a face of an angel gave Amus mother a smirk and winked at her, Amus mother had recognised that face and smirk anywhere. “ Amu, Ikutos here to see you” Amus mother just trailed her eyes up and down at Ikutos body and gave him a snarled look “you better be taking care of my daughter Tsukiyomi Ikuto. “TSUKIYOMI IKUTO” a loud voice was heard from the kitchen to the hallway where Ikuto stood still waiting for amu to come out of her bedroom.

“TSUKIYOMI IKUTO IS HERE!!!!, WHERE ARE YOU TAKING MY DAUGHTER OUT”. The father of Amu glared at Ikuto as if he was a plant just waiting to grow from its seed, and that is a long time just staring. His wife had enough of this foolishness and called amu out again “ AMU, IKUTO IS HERE FOR YOU” while doing this she was lifting her husband from the collar of his shirt and pushing him into the kitchen again, “im sorry Ikuto for my husbands trouble, he seems to be not fond of you quite yet”.

“Its fine it’s only 3pm anyway” Ikuto answered with a bright expression on his face, as he was pleased to be taking Amu out for the 70th time.

Amu is now at the age of 17 and Ikuto is 22 ( I think).

Amu dashed down the stairs wearing a blue hat, a blue top, and a blue skirt but with surprisingly a red necklace, her top was short-sleeved and a black under-lining at the bottom of the top.

(see picture in profile)

“Amu, you look great err…I mean sexy outfit” I let my cool go there for a minute Ikuto YOU DUMBASS !!! I slapped my head because I was an idiot. Amu just giggled as a response, she had gotten use to my weird moments by now.

“Anyway Amu were going to the park, okay?”

“Okay” Amu said in a bright tone.

They both started walking out the house, closing the door ‘slam’, the door had closed, and Ikuto and amu were off.

~~~~~~~~still in the kitchen~~~~

“NOOO DEAR LOOK YOUR LETTING THEM GET AWAY” Amus dad just stared at them while walking out of the door.

“Shhhh let them have there fun this might the start of something big, remember how we met?” she had questioned her husband.

“Gulp….um y…yes” as a response to her question.

However, Mrs Hinamori was occupied now to think of a punishment for her husband since he did not remember the day they met; she kept on daydreaming then a thought popped into her head “OH MY GOSH I MIGHT HAVE GRANDCHILDREN, YESS MY DREAM HAS COME” she started dancing around the house.

(I know in the anime they did show a clip of how Amus parents met but I liked this version lol)

~~~~~While walking towards the park~~~~~~

“Hey amu”

“yes ikuto? What is it?”

“I love you”

Amu had jumped back a step by saying this out in the open and saying it so suddenly.

“Amu you do love me, right?”

Her face went a cherry colour
“um…yes…I love you too”

amu pov

oh my nuggets! (XD LMAO author here speaking) did ikuto just ask me that? Moreover, my face let up too, how embarrassing. His reaction was only a smile on his face he grabbed my hand and we started walking again. My hand was getting sweatier by the second though.

“Amu…are you okay do you fell ill?”

“Um… well actually im just nervous” I turned my face and hid it under my hair and my hat.

“Amu…its okay, to be honest im nervous too, its just I didn’t want you to find out”

“Y...You’re nervous” her voice was cracking a bit.

“Hahahahhaa…I guess so” Amu stopped hiding herself under her hat and looked right up at me. Her face gave me a big smile, I smiled back and leaned in towards her, and we shared the same kiss and started walking towards the park.

~~~~~~~~~~~A year later its ikuto birthday~~~~~

“IKUTO OPEN THE DOOR, ITS AMU”

“BANG, BANG, BANG IKUTO OPEN THE DOOR ITS FREEZING OUT HERE LET ME IN”

“Murmurmurmurmurmurmur” that was the only voice amu heard on the other side of the door.

“Grrrr fine ive got no choice……………………….RAWR, KICK, BAM, RAWRRRRRR I AM THE COLLOSAL DINOSAUR, FEAR ME”

I had kicked the door and banned it a couple of times.

Nothing, just silence on the other side, I was starting to get pissed.

“Grrrrrr, IKUTO OPEN UP………… great no answer…Hmmmmmm okay I got it” I lied on the floor just outside his front door step and shouted.

“RAPEEEEE OMG SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME, SAVE ME”

‘BANG’ the door opened and ikuto was standing there just outside the door.

His face was red probably with steam about to explode out of his ears.

“AMUUUU”

“HAIIIII, ARIGATOU” I walked past him and entered the front door into the hallway “IM HOME!”

I turned around to face him and, what a scary look, I backed away as slowly as I can. “Heh Hello Ikuto, did you have a nice day today?”

He kept on getting closer to me, and I started backing up even more “AHHHHHHHHHH” with that comment from me screaming I started running around the house with him trying to catch me. We runned around the house a good four times, before he pinned me down to the sofa/coach, holding both of my hands and giving me butterfly kisses on my neck and at the side of my lips.

Ikuto finally gave me a kiss on my lips before anyone of us started to speak again.

“Amu I was sleeping, silently.”

“but ikuto I was out getting your birthday present, don’t tell me you had forgotten your own birthday”

“um…………” his voice trailed off.

“Hahahahahahahaha, but Ikuto it was freezing out there, it is December after all”

“yeah, yeah I know sorry I didn’t open the door, like I said I was sleeping, but dreaming about you and it was getting to the good part” he leaned in to give me another kiss, I stopped him with my hand “okay that’s enough Ikuto”.

“Aw, damn.”

I giggled. “Ikuto, happy birthday” I gave him a small box with a purple ribbon on top and blue wrapping paper on the outside. I smiled happily, since I caught a glimpse of his face, he looked shocked but pleased. In that moment I was happy, I wanted my life to be like this forever, always by Ikutos side.

I heard the paper being torn apart and scrunched up; I hope Ikuto will like his present.

Ikuto opened up the lid to the small box, there was a small keychain with two charms attached to it. A charm had the shape of a cats head with a purple/blue colour jewel inside. The other charm was an X shape with a red/pink jewel in the middle.

“Ikuto do you like it?”

There was silence before Ikuto replied.

“A…Amu…arigatou”

The tone in his voice, was he possibly moved by my gift, could that really do that to someone.

A smile appeared on his face and mine. “Its ok Ikuto, it is your birthday after all”

“No…Amu I mean thank you for everything, you’re the best thing that’s happened in my life”

His hand reached out and he hugged me, tightly.

“I...Ikuto”

“Amu please, can we just stay like this for a little longer”

I rested my head on his shoulder, I really wanted this moment to stay the same and be like this forever. I buried my head into chest, and only muttered his name.

~~~~~~~a year later~~~~~

place: The hospital

“AMU PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME, NOT LIKE THIS, Amu…please”

The warmth of amus hand, I placed my head on her hand I was holding, so tightly. There were tears running down both of our cheeks.

“Amu…please, I don’t know what ill do if you’re gone”

“Ikuto, Do you remember what happened on your birthday?”

“Of course”

“To be honest, I wanted that moment to stay the same”

“A…Amu”

I felt more tears running down my cheeks. Amus family was right there next to me, I was kneeling while they were standing, we all came to say our last goodbyes to Amu, But why did she just suddenly had to fall ill, why couldn’t I have taken care of her more, then she wouldn’t have ended up like this.

“I…Ikuto please whatever you do, don’t blame yourself for this, it wasn’t your fault”

“B...But...Amu”

I just simply nodded.

“Oh, Ikuto always smile for me, okay?”

My eyes went wide, why did she have to say something like that, now I don’t want her to go even more.

I Holded her hand, until her warmth was gone.

~~~~months later~~~

I helded my head up and looked out of the window, there was cherry blossoms outside, boxes full of stuff in the house.

I reached into my pocket; I felt an item about the right size to fit in the palm of my hand.

I pulled it out and it was Amus gift she had gotten me for my birthday.

You said “always smile for me”.

~~~~~~ 3 weeks later~~~~~

A small boy about the age of 6 was playing with a stick along side a fence and memorizing phrases from an action packed TV show, the boy was standing next to two oak trees with autumn leaves falling to the ground everywhere.

He was curious as to why an older boy was just standing in front of a big stone and placing flowers there, he looked in curiosity, he decided to memorize this mans face, so that he could tell a story later to his mum about what happened when he was out playing. The man had dark blue hair and purple coloured eyes.

After awhile of staring at the stone, the older man had left and on his bag, he was carrying something, it shone when it hit sun or any kind of light.

The item on Ikutos bag was the gift Amu had given him, the keychain with the two charms in the shape of a cat and an X.

The End

Amu’s POV

I just lied there; on the hospital bed. My breathing getting slower. I was hooked onto a lot of machines. Almost everything was a blur in my eyes. I heard faint cries and sobs coming from the people next to me. They knew my condition as well as I.

I was dying.

My vision was becoming blurrier, and the cries were becoming fainter by the minute. Even though I was dying, all I could think about was him. Although he shattered my heart, I still hope he’ll live a happier life with his soon to be fiancée. You all know who I’m talking about.

Tears were coming out of my eyes. And it was harder to breathe.

It’s finally the end for me.

Suddenly I hear the doors of the hospital room barge open. Someone was coming, but who? I heard yelling, then, I felt something embrace my hand. Another person‘s hand? I felt something wet drop on my hand... Tears? Was this person… crying? The warmth of the person’s hand felt familiar. It felt nostalgic. It couldn’t be him, right? Though, I never really forgot the warmth of his hand.

Soon, there was a bright light. My soul was being enveloped into it. It must be the gates of Heaven. Death, huh? It was easier than I imagined. Much easier than living. Finally, I can be at peace where my suffering can finally end.

“Amu? Amu?! Amu!”

That was the last thing I heard…
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IKUTO'S POV


*Ring, ring, ring, ri-*

“Hello?”

“Ikuto! Thank God you picked up! You‘ve got to come back to Japan!”

“Utau? What is it? I’m about to propose to my girlfriend.”

“Ikuto! Forget about that! It’s about Amu! She’s-”

“Hn… What about her?”

“She’s dying!”

“What?! Why? But, how?! She was fine when I talked to her earlier today!”

“That’s the problem, Ikuto. You didn’t talk to her. You only texted her only to ask how to propose to your girlfriend. Just like the time when you texted Amu the first time in 6 years to tell her that you found a girlfriend and that you don’t love her anymore! What the hell were you thinking! You broke her heart, Ikuto!”

“But, she said-”

“Forget what she said! She lied to you so you can actually be happy for yourself and told us not to tell you! After you left, she realized that she loved you.”

“… I’ll come over right now-”

“No. You know what? Just forget it. I don’t know why I even called you. By the time you get here, she‘ll be long gone.”

“Wait Uta-”

‘Amu, hold on! I’ll be there!’

_____________________________________________________________________________________

As soon as I got off the airplane, I headed straight towards the hospital. I barged through the doors of the room Amu was in.

“Ikuto!” Utau shouted out. Obviously surprised to see me. Her eyes were swollen from crying.

I brushed past her and ran to the edge of the bed where Amu was. I was too late. She was going to die. I held her hand. I let tears escape my eyes. It was the first time in such a long time I cried like this. Before I knew it, I realized she was gone.

“Amu? Amu?! Amu!”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I stood there. Still holding her now cold, lifeless hand. She was gone… The only one I actually loved is gone. I placed her hand back by her side and faced Utau.

“Utau.” I said with my hair covering my eyes. Then, I looked back up, looking straight at her eyes. “Tell me. How did this all start?”

“Ikuto…” She paused, “I guess now is the time to tell you.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“It all started 4 years ago. 2 years after you left.” She started, “One day, Amu wasn’t feeling well. She would bruise and bleed easily; she was always tired too. She was taken to the doctors. They took some tests on her and found out that she was diagnosed with cancer. Leukemia to be exact.”

“What?! Why didn’t anyone tell me?!”

“Just listen, Ikuto! Anyways, as I was saying, because of her cancer, Amu had to stay in the hospital and take chemotherapy. Only until she could go into remission. Amu didn’t like being in the hospital. Every time I visited her, she would pretend to be happy, but I saw in her eyes that she honestly wasn’t. She hated to be alone. Her own friends and even Tadase didn’t come visit her. They were afraid that they would catch the cancer from her; therefore, she was always alone.”

“After about a year in the hospital and endless treatments of chemotherapy, Amu was finally in remission and was released from the hospital. Her spirits brightened. However, her guardian friends didn’t even welcome her home. Because of that, Amu gave up on them and didn’t try to make new friends.”

“6 months later, Amu’s parents and her sister were brutally murdered. Leaving her with no friends, home, or family. On the same day of the funeral, her leukemia came back worse than ever. She was rushed to the emergency room. When the doctors examined her, they found a new threat to Amu’s health. She had a tumor in her stomach. Since then, Amu practically lived in the hospital; receiving several surgeries, chemotherapy treatments, and radiation treatments to shrink her tumor. As a friend, I took care of all the medical bills and stuck by her side. One day, I asked her,

“Amu, what’s keeping you alive?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“ I mean, even after losing everything, why are you still determined to live?”

“… That’s because. I made a promise to Ikuto, and he made a promise to me. It’s to see if I can find my would-be-self before he can find his father. And… this other bet he made, was that he’ll make sure that I’ll fall in love with him, which he already had won. But, I believe that he’s going to return; I want to see him one last time.”

“But, that all changed after-”

“After I told her that I didn’t love her anymore…” I finished Utau’s sentence.

“Yeah…”

“…”

“Ikuto, you really did hurt her a lot. Ever since that day, she was ready to give up her life. She refused to take her treatments. Because of that, the tumor had spread to her vital organs and was too late for a transplant.”

“... I see... If only… If only I could have realized that I still loved her any sooner, her death would have never happened. All these years, Amu suffered from health problems, loneliness, and many other things. But, she still had hope left, and I took it away from her. She died all because it was all my fault. Why didn’t anyone tell me?!”

“Ikuto, she didn’t want you to worry, especially after you announced that you were going to propose to your girlfriend. By the way, what happened to her?”

“I broke up with her. Amu was more important.”

“I see… Come on now, Amu won’t like us to be sad over her own grave. Lets go.”

“No. She won’t. But, I can’t leave her like this. Not anymore. I don’t want her to feel lonely ever again.”

“Suit yourself.” With that said, Utau left leaving Amu and me alone.

As soon as she was out of sight, I set my violin case down, and took out my father’s old violin.

I played a song just for her.

The wind blew gently, and I could almost hear her voice, trying to sing along with the melody of the violin.

*~*The End*~*